Cardamom, Green

GENERAL INFORMATIONThe warm, lemony, sweetly aromatic cardamom is the fruit of a tropical plant related to ginger, and is one of the world’s most expensive spices. Growing cardamom is extremely labor intensive. Pods are harvested when three quarters ripe and are then washed and dried. Green pods have been dried for one day and night in a heated room. The three seeds inside each pod are considered the spice.

CULINARY USESCardamom is used in different ways by different cultures. It is essential to Middle Eastern countries where it is used to flavor coffee, in Scandinavian areas where it is used as a dessert baking spice and in India where it is a savory spice for curries and tea. Elsewhere it is used for poached fish, meat loaf, fish stews and sweet potatoes.

HISTORYIn India Cardamom was known as the “Queen of spices” to black pepper’s title as the “King of spices”. Also in India, during the 11th century, it was listed as one of the ingredients in the “Five fragrance betel chew” in the Book of Splendour. Cardamom oil is used to flavor pharmaceuticals, and as a fragrance in soaps, detergents, perfumes and other body care products.

59 ml - sold in resealable, air tight, rice paper bags.Organically sourced from small, family run farms in Guatemala.